A beautifully written short novel. Rare to come across such a competent debut novel.
Really transports you to this remote Welsh island. Atmospheric and evocative, it felt very real.
Impressive how much emotion and is packed into such a short piece of work. Appreciated seeing this small community through the character of Manod and all her complex feelings were expressed very well.
Gentle literary slice of life fiction isn’t really my thing. Picked this up to try something different and it was definitely worth a go.

This was a short book but plenty of emotion packed into it. Beautifully written and a lovely story.

Really impressive debut novel

Beautifully written short novel, although there are no great surprises in the story.

Perfect for reading in one sitting on a rainy winter afternoon!

This is a beautifully written novel about Manod, a Welsh girl living on a remote island with her father and sister. The world is on the brink of change as WW2 looms and Manod is ready to embrace a new life away from the confines of her home. A gentle and captivating debut which evokes a more innocent time.

Manod lives on a remote Welsh island. It is 1938, and though the spectre of global change may loom in the readers mind, it is global change of a different kind which is bought to Manod's Island and way of life. Two academics come to the island to study the way of life there, and in the process of their study, there is a shift in Manod, an awakening.

This is a beautifully written novel. Elizabeth O'connor draws Manod well - she breathes on the page. It is also great to see Welsh used well within the dialogue - as a Welsh speaker I was right at home.

This is a fine debut, and I am very interested to see where O'connor goes next. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

It’s so refreshing to read Welsh as part of the text - not awkwardly inserted, but naturally flowing. I loved the character of Llios, and this book has inspired me to visit Bardsey Island if I can - an informative author’s note at the end reveals that this is one of the islands that inspired Manon’s story.

What an incredibly beautiful book that captures the naïveté, beauty and difficulties of living on a small island. The writing was enchanting, I felt like I was there on the island myself with Manod, and her troubles and frustrations felt raw and very real. This book perfectly reflects the struggles of womanhood and isolation and I found myself completely lost in this world of fishing and farming. Simply breathtaking.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for giving me my first ever arc.

Secondly, I gave this book overall 3.5 stars.

Thirdly, the review. Whale Fall is an quiet novel that falls into the category of ‘slice of life historical fiction’ than anything else. It has promise to be something so endearing and layered, but in reality, it falls flat in some areas that I feel needed to be elevated in order to be a well rounded novel.

Manod was great narrator of the novel. She sees the world in a wonderful mix of wise beyond her years and naive of anything beyond the world she knows. However, I felt her past was glazed over and pushed so far back that at times she seemed flat and un engaging. Her love for community as well as her desire for more from the world was however, was interesting, albeit sometimes underdeveloped.

The inclusion of politics from the mainland to the island where Manod is from comes from two visiting characters, who come into Manod’s life and quickly show their greed for it only to leave it in upheaval. The mystery behind Joan and Edward is never answered. Who are they really? Are they who they say they are? And whilst I adore the mystery, it would have been nice to layer their characters more before their abrupt departure nearing the end of the novel. I felt baited and never satiated by them.

An important positive to this story is the beautiful language. It’s expressive and whimsical at times, which I enjoyed immensely. I got a real feel for the landscape, the smells, the sounds and people. It reminded me greatly of Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy in that respect, especially in relation to the discussions of nature and its decay against the threat of modern life.

Overall, this isn’t a bad debut at all. It shows promise for future novels by the author which I can’t wait to see.

Whale Fall unveils its coming-of-age tale against the stark and vivid backdrop of a remote Welsh island in 1938. The landscape, rugged and windswept, stands as a testament to both the beauty and harshness of Marod's surroundings. Clinging to the cliffs, the village exudes an air of isolation, with the endless sea serving as both a protector and an imposing force.

As Marod's journey unfolds, the narrative skilfully captures the hard lifestyles of the island's people, who eke out their existence through manual fishing jobs. The sound of creaking boats and the scent of salted air become integral elements of the narrative, painting a visceral picture of the islanders' daily struggles against the unforgiving sea. The reader is transported into the heart of the village, where weathered faces tell tales of resilience and the relentless rhythm of manual labour shapes the community's identity.

The arrival of Edward and Joan, two outsiders studying the customs of the locals, becomes a catalyst for Marod's awakening. Joan, with her sophisticated fashion and cosmopolitan lifestyle, becomes an emblem of a world Marod had only dreamt of, while Edward, with his striking good looks and scholarly pursuits, captures her imagination in ways she never thought possible.

The climax sees Edward and Joan departing, leaving Marod behind with promises of a new life on the mainland. The resolution leaves Marod grappling with the bitter realization of change and the indelible marks it leaves on personal growth.
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It's 1938 and Manod lives on a remote Welsh island with her father and little sister, whom she has to look after following the death of their mother. Manod longs for a bigger life and willingly becomes the assistant to two ethnographers from England, who manipulate their research to correspond with their preconceived ideas of traditional island life. In reality, the old ways are changing as islanders prepare for an uncertain future and some move away. The decaying carcass of a beached whale symbolises the erosion of island culture.
A literary coming of age story that conveys a sense of longing in its protagonist for both change and tradition.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.